Roger Waters - Perth Arena, 20th February 2018

Words: Garreth Manuel​Photos: Stuart Millen

More than half way through a tour of 150 dates worldwide, Roger Waters ended the Australia and New Zealand leg of his Us + Them tour at Perth Arena last Tuesday. At 74 years of age, this is a monstrous feat to say the least, but one would have no doubt that this is possible. Missing a beat (literally and visually) is not an option for the Pink Floyd co-founder and as expected, he delivered.

Queue the backdrop of the stage. A woman sitting on a beach. Back turned. As the sun rises on her, the Arena blackens and Waters and his band appear. Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon tracks Speak to Me and Breathe opened the set. Next was One of These Days. Nothing to see here. Eyes everywhere were closed, absorbing Waters throbbing bass line and Dave Kilminsters wailing guitar.

Time was next and as the clocks ticked over and over and the bell rang, Jonathan Wilson on guitar, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig on backing vocals were spectacular. The Great Gig in the Sky and Welcome tothe Machine followed with an almost unnecessary sphere hovering seemingly at arm's length above.

Taking a break from Pink Floyd, Waters played a few tracks from his latest album, 2017’s Is This the Life We Really Want, Including Déjà Vu and Picture That. Although thought provoking lyrically and ferociously delivered, both tracks silenced the crowd and were looked upon with indifference. It just left the audience wanting more Floyd.

Thankfully the familiar first bar of Wish You Were Here brought the crowd back into coherence with guitarist Jonathon Wilson taking Dave Gilmore’s lead vocals. A simply outstanding performance all round. With it ever looming, and Another Brick In The Wall part 2 and 3 ended the first set with the familiar sound of helicopters and a spotlight targeting random sections of the crowd. A group of kids in orange jumpsuits joined the band on stage (The Guantanamo Eleven) to a rousing reception and with Rogers bass line once again in absolute command the youngsters marched and sang the chorus to an appreciative crowd and Waters himself.

After a necessary intermission, enormous screens divided the crowd with the unmistakable image of the Battersea Power Station, chimneys billowing smoke. With gazes averted from the stage there was nothing much to do than to attempt to appreciate the projections of Trump and Putin forced upon us.

The famous Floyd flying pig made its inevitable appearance, as it absolutely must. Ever circling, hypnotizing the crowd with similarly provocative, anti Trump imagery for Animals’ songs Dogs and Pigs(three different ones) with Wilson again taking on the vocals. The visual bombardment didn't let up for tracks Money and Usand Them either and was utterly exhausting.

Sounding ever so Pink Floyd-esque, just without the Gilmore vocals, new Waters solo track Smell the Roses marked the midway point in the second set. Unlike those played earlier, this new track worked well live, with more punch than its studio version. Brain Damage bled flawlessly into Eclipse, bringing some relief with a more mellow atmosphere. Platinum wigged Wolfe and Laessig once again unleashed their extraordinary vocal prowess through both tracks as the ever necessary 3D laser prism appeared over the crowd on the floor, as the black sphere once again floated overhead. After all, we were on The Dark Side of the Moon.

The end of the show was close and Waters took the time to introduce his band and offer a heart felt good bye to two long term crew members who were departing the tour after this show. In a departure from the standard setlist, the Wall’s Mother was dropped in favour of only the second ever performance of three tracks from Is This the Life We Really Want, Wait for Her, Oceans Apart and Part of Me Died. Perhaps Mother would’ve been a better choice, as it was a rather subdued end to the set. Fortunately, Waters had saved the best for last and finished the two plus hour show with a shiver inducing version of Comfortably Numb. Kilminster absolutely nailed Gilmour’s guitar solos and was applauded throughout by the satisfied crowd, who at long last, had finally made it to their feet. A masterfully executed second set.

Whether you agree with his views or not, the always outspoken and politically driven Roger Waters has every intention to leave you with an unforgettable experience. And he certainly succeeded on this night. Simply stunning.​